Glasses FAQ

What glasses suit square faces?

If you have a square face shape, you should choose a design that is opposite to the shape of your face. So, you should be opting for a round or oval shaped pair of glasses.

There are many types of faces, and different styles of glasses suit different shapes of faces. When buying your glasses, it can be difficult to decide if they look good on you, or not. The first thing you need to think about is the shape of your face. The different shape categories include:

Square

Round

Oval

Oblong

If you are unsure of the shape category of your face, one thing you can try is to look in the mirror and compare your facial features with those who have similar ones. For example, you could search ‘Celebrities with square face shapes' and see if you have any similarities. Famous people with square face shapes include David Beckham, Lady Gaga, Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman.

A square face tends to be angular with a strong horizontal jawline and a square chin. It is also common for square-faced people to have broad foreheads. If you think your face is too square and wish to play down your angles, then wearing glasses with colour can help to divert attention away from face shape. What colour glasses you should choose depends on your hair colouring. For example, if you are blonde; green, coral or red are usually best; while, if you are a brunette or have black hair, opt for darker colours.

When you are choosing glasses, you are usually looking to soften and balance the sharp angles. The right frames can make your face appear longer – oval glasses tend to be the best for this. Avoid, if you can, square and geometric frames.

What are prisms in glasses used for?

Prisms in glasses are used to primarily correct double vision, for positional correction, or convergence correction. Recently, prisms have also been used to help people with hemianopia – a condition that causes blindness in half of the visual field in both eyes. This condition is common to those who have suffered brain injuries, and stroke victims.

If you suffer from the above issues, it can mean that an image one eye sees is not in line with what the other is seeing, thus creating an impression of two images instead of one. If glasses have a prism lens, it will correct the image, and will help to get the eyes working together as they should. It does this by using a prism to trick the brain into thinking that the eyes are working together, by shifting what you see slightly to align it with the other eye.

Normally, standard glasses only correct two types of eye conditions: focal distance (near or farsightedness) or an unusual curving of the cornea, such as astigmatism.

Prism glasses have a thinner apex and thicker base than standard glasses. This is to enable light to bend and slow. The angle, or index, of refraction that the light bends at will depend on the shape and thickness of the lens.

If you have started to get double vision, it is important you get it checked out as soon as possible by a qualified optician as this can be a symptom of wider problems such as diabetes, a brain tumour, high blood pressure, thyroid issues and cataracts.

I have to hold things at arms length to read properly – what does this mean?

Our eyes change over time and this may mean that you need reading glasses or varifocals. Your Optician will be able to test your eyes and advise you of the best solution for your eye sight needs.

How often do I need to get a new pair of glasses?

One of the most common questions we get asked at Scrivens is: “How often should I get new glasses?” Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this question.

Some people may have to change their prescription frequently, whereas others may not need to for many years. Your optometrist is the best person to make a judgement as to whether your glasses need changing.

You may feel like you can see perfectly with your current glasses, but your old lenses may be working against you. Even if you aren’t noticing any problems, it’s important to have your eyes tested and glasses checked regularly.

If you wear glasses, you need to have an eye test at least every two years to allow your optometrist to assess your vision. They will take certain factors into account and provide you with the best options.

Factors such as damage to the lens, age, eye health and improvements in technology all make a difference when it comes to updating your glasses. If you are using an outdated prescription, your glasses may be causing eye strain, which can lead to headaches and migraines.

In addition, technology is constantly evolving and in the two years between recommended eye tests, there may have been improvements to lenses that will benefit you and provide you with a greater level of vision.

Optometrists recommend that adults over 16 years of age have their eyes tested every two years and those over 70 once a year. Children should also have their eyes tested annually.

My glasses don’t fit as well as they used to, what can I do?

Some glasses may become loose over time; if you take your glasses to your local store they may be able to tighten them for you.

Is it true that wearing glasses can make my eye sight worse?

No, wearing glasses doesn’t not make your eye sight worse. In fact, it will reduce eye strain and any headaches caused by straining to see. Studies have also shown that correcting eye sight, with glasses or contact lenses, can actually have a positive affect on a child’s eye sight.

What does AR coating mean?

AR stands for Anti-Reflection. An Anti-Reflection coating helps stop glare, so is ideal for driving and computer use. They also make the lenses appear clearer to others, so they can see your eyes and not reflections on the lenses.

Can I get sunglasses with prescription lenses?

Yes, all our sunglasses can be made to your prescription. You can also have any frame you like tinted to create sunglasses.

What frame will look best on me?

When choosing the right frame for you, you should take into account your face shape and the style that you want. Our Guide to Buying Glasses has some pointers that will help you. Our staff are trained in frame styling and will be happy to help you choose the best frame for you.

What happens if I break my glasses?

Depending on the damage, we may be able to repair your glasses. You can simply pop in to any Scrivens Opticians store and our staff will help you. If you’re covered by our Spectacle Replacement Scheme and your glasses are beyond repair, you can get a replacement pair for just 10% of the purchase price.

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